Switch
by jowa504
Summary: Mel and Vidanric decide to go on a royal tour of the country, but an evil mage has other ideas. What happens with he switches Meliara with...Melanie? Will Melanie, a girl from our world, be able to save Mel's reputation? And how will Mel get back? *ch 7!*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All the characters and places and other nifty things you recognize are Sherwood Smith's are not mine (unfortunately).

Year 4759:

It had been a long day at court for Queen Meliara of Remalna. She sighed as yet another petitioner came in to kneel in front of the King and Queen to make his request. As the farmer argued his point, she glanced up at the great Goldenwood tree to remind herself of the duty she took on when she married Vidanric, then turned her attention to the man.

"I'm glad we're equal rulers," she thought to herself, "but on days like these I almost wish I could be the ornamental queen." She glanced at Vidanric, who smiled at her, sensing her thoughts. Finally the discussion for the day ended, and Meliara and Vidanric walked back to their suite arm in arm.

"That took forever today!" she exclaimed on the in the safe confines of their rooms. "It's been like this for weeks!"

"I know, darling," Vidanric said, taking her hands, "but I like to see it as a growing trust the population has in their government, in us. That is something I'm proud to see."

"I know, and we must continue to give each petitioner the same attention, or that trust will falter. It's just that between court proceedings, entertaining diplomats, and learning magic, I feel like we have no time for our family," Mel said wearily, "and we certainly can't just take a family vacation to Sartor for a week or something the other nobles would do."

"What if we try to cut down on our workload somewhat?" Vidanric mused, "Take a royal tour throughout the country. Talk to people there and try to set a precedent for the resolution of common problems that town leaders can enforce on their own. We're in a time of peace, and it has been too long since the nation has seen its hero," he finished with a smile.

Mel blushed and waved away his last comment, "It has been too long since I've seen Bran and Nee in Tlanth. I think a royal tour is a wonderful idea."

Vidanric kissed her and led her to their bedroom. "Wonderful, we'll announce it tomorrow to start preparations as soon as possible. And now my dear, come rest your weary head with your husband."

* * *

News traveled fast of the impending tour, and word of it reached a mysterious man sitting in a tavern in a small town just east of the province of Orbanith. He was sitting by himself, and the tavern owner guessed he was a foreigner of some sort, and an odd one at that. He traveled alone, which was always a risky business, though he did not have to worry about a mugging in the Farjoon Anchor, the proprietor thought proudly. No siree, it was a favorite place of the royals, and none of those sorts were accepted.

The stranger stared into his half empty mug of ale, thinking over the news that a merchant from Remalna-City had brought. This man did not have to worry about the dangers of the role. He was Norcom, a powerful black mage who had been banished from the distant country of Helandrias by the Mage Council. He had been in Remalna for months now, exploring the towns and countryside. He was satisfied with what he saw. Yes, he thought, this small but prosperous country would suit his needs just fine. Yet how to take it? This was the question he was thinking over when that pompous merchant came into the common room, boasting of his exciting news.

Norcom sat back and drained his ale. "The royal couple is going on tour of the country? With half the nobles of the land in tow no doubt. This must be my opening." He stroked his chin and thought again, "I am a powerful man, but from what I've seen the people here love their rulers, which makes things harder. I'm not like those that only consider those with political power important. If I want this country to bring me riches, I need the people to continue working…but for me. It would make things much easier if the nobles were on my side as well. But how to turn the people against their much beloved monarchs? Hmmm, if it is the King they respect, it is the Queen they love. So the solution must lie with her. Yes, Meliara Astiar, you will be the key."

The mage got up and left a few coins at the bar. He had work to do.

A/N: Hey yall! So I've been reading fanfcition for a while now, but this is one of my first attempts so any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! Any tips on the writing itself or mistakes I've made with facts in the book (its been too long since I've read Duel) would be great. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All the characters and places and other nifty things you recognize are Sherwood Smith's and not mine (unfortunately).

After the announcement, preparation for the royal tour began in earnest. Ladies updated their wardrobes to fit climates ranging from the coast to the mountains, men finished their affairs in the castle and hurried home to ready their provinces to host the monarchy, and the palace servants purchased supplies in bulk for the procession. Carpenters and sculptors and all sorts of craftsmen were hired to do a major and long awaited makeover of Athanarel while most of the court would be gone with the procession. Finally, in less time than anyone would have imagined, the flurry of activity reached its end, and the Royal Tour began.

It was an impressive sight. Colorful banners lead the way and a total of fifteen ridings flanked the sides in formation. Most of the noble men and some of the women (including Mel and Trish) rode on horseback in front of and in between the retinue of carriages, soldiers, and packhorses and supplies. Oria, the royal princess, rode between her mother and father as long as she could, emulating the way her parents greeted the country people who flocked to see monarchs and their court on parade. The first place to visit was a small but pleasant lake town south of the Akaeriki River in the province of Mnend. The townspeople were out in droves, waving streamers the green and gold of Remalna to greet the company. Vidanric stopped in front of a respectable inn at the center of town called the Rathskeller. It was going to be here that Vidanric and Mel would hold an informal court to meet town leaders, resolve longstanding issues, and set a precedent for similar issues that would inevitably arise in the future.

The meeting was a success, and everyone in attendance remarked how fair their monarchs were, and handsome to boot! Lady Tamara drew the attention of most the men as she walked through the town, and the women, old and young, wished they could be so lucky as to have the Duke of Savona on their arm. Yet it was Meliara who they held dear in their hearts, even more so as they saw her ask intelligent questions and even debate with the King over certain points! At the end of the tiring but productive day, the entire party retired to the castle of the Count of Mnend.

Mel walked into her room, giddy with success. "Danric," she called, "how wonderful that was!"

"Yes," he agreed, "exactly what we could have hoped for."

"I thought it was boring," Oria said from her spot on the lush red rug.

"Oh but darling," Mel laughed as she scooped her daughter up into a hug, "that little girl gave you a rose as you walked in the inn. Wasn't that nice?"

"She even curtsied to me," Oria added, "and not even to Lady Tara!"

Mel laughed again, "Oria don't say things like that. But I promise you will like tomorrow much better," she continued, "Your father and I will meet with the an important group of merchants from Mnend tomorrow so I am sure we can get you something nice to wear to the ball in a week."

"A new dress for a ball?" Oria asked her eyes wide with excitement.

"There will be a ball," her father answered, "but you only get to go if you go to sleep."

So with a kiss for both her parents, Oria ran off to her room.

Vidanric chuckled at his young daughter's excitement and joined Mel on the edge of the bed.

"Danric, I really feel like we did well today. It was just so different holding court in town instead of in Athanarel. The people felt comfortable and in their own setting, and we could even see what areas they were talking about. It was all more…authentic!" Mel finished, unable to easily put her feelings into words.

"I know what you mean, though you know I have a soft spot for rustics," Vidanric teased.

"Oh Danric, that's not nice! I believe I've become quite sophisticated since coming to court!" Mel replied.

"Yes well, we don't want you to become too cosmopolitan if you can help it." He smiled, "but we will need to put on our best court personas tomorrow during the meeting with the merchant guild," he said more seriously. "The nobility have certain contempt for the merchant class, but they are an important part of what makes our country run smoothly and prosperously. The Count told me this was a particularly hard bunch to impress."

"Don't worry; I'll be on my best behavior." Mel said, and sealed her promise with a kiss.

* * *

As Meliara fell asleep, the mage Norcom reviewed his plan in his room at the Rathskeller. The monarchs had done well today, though the opinion of the townspeople could be easily swayed by the respected merchants who were to meet with the royal couple tomorrow. If something were to go wrong, that gossip would travel swiftly, and the next town to host the show might be more skeptical. Yes, tonight was the night to take action…to put Meliara Astiar out of action. This had been his goal all along, and he was quite pleased with his solution. It was neat and tidy and led to very little immediate suspicion before the damage would be done.

Norcom drew a triangle of power with chalk on the floor of his room, and sat in the middle and began to meditate. The air around him began to hum with power, and his chanting, if a passerby were to hear it, would have haunted them for a long time. Sweat rolled down his temple, but he kept his eyes shut tight, concentrating with an extreme mental effort. The air continued to hum and seemed to sway. Every muscle in his body was stiff with effort. Just as the room seemed as if it was about to explode into a tiny million pieces, the stress was relieved and Norcom opened his eye with an evil grin on his face. He had succeeded in his spell, and now all he had to do was rest and wait.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All the characters and places and other nifty things you recognize are Sherwood Smith's and not mine (unfortunately).

Year 2008 (Earth Time)

_  
Ring Ring Ring_

A strange ringing sound roused Mel awake, but denying the inevitable, she rolled over and put her head in her pillow.

"Is someone ringing a bell through the halls?" she thought.

_Ring Ring Ring_

"Oh why won't they go away?"

_Ring Ring Ring_

"Life! Make it stop!" she paused, and then sighed. "Oh well, it must be past dawn anyway. I'll have Mora bring me some hot chocolate. Oh yes, that is the only way to start a long day of politics." She chuckled to herself, thinking how spoiled she had become since taking up residence at the palace.

Mel sat up, rubbing her eyes, becoming more confused as her morning haziness cleared.

"What? This isn't the Mnend."

She gazed around the room in astonishment. The room was small, and furnished with shiny looking bookshelves made of something unknown to her that was bright pink. A foreign type of colorwood, perhaps? The ringing noise she was hearing seemed to be coming from a strange clam-like creature living on a bedside table made of the same material as the shelves. On the desk across from the bed, there was a frame surrounding a glowing painting that said "You've Got Mail." Attached to the frame was a board with letters on it.

"Where am I?" Mel said aloud, totally alarmed "Danric, Mora, hello!"

She ran to the door and pulled it open where she saw another strange room with a large and small water basin and a mirror. The other door led to yet another alien room.

"I must be dreaming!" she said to herself, laughing with relief. "This can't be real. It can't! I just need to calm down, go back to sleep, and when I wake up I'll have hot chocolate and meet with those stodgy merchants."

She lay back down in the bed and closed her eyes. In her initial panic, Mel had forgotten about the ringing clam, which was still insistently making noise. Mel picked it up and cautiously opened it. There was not a mollusk inside, but a voice started coming out of one end of the shell.

"Hello! Mel! Are you not up yet? C'mon, Mel, you knew I was comin' to get you early today! Mel? Can you hear me? Hello? Hello?"

"What a strange dream this is," Mel thought to herself, "shells talking to me? Maybe I should answer it so I can go back to sleep."

"Um hello?" Mel answered towards the direction of the voice. "This is Mel. Who, or what, are you?"

"Oh good you're awake! And I'm your ride so get dressed and come downstairs" the voice replied.

Mel was taken aback. "I can ride perfectly well by myself thank you! Everyone knows that! I may not be able to beat Vidanric on that horse of his but I can certainly come close!"

"What are you talking about?" the voice asked, sounding slightly worried. "Look, I'm coming up so press the button to let me in."

Mel didn't know how the voice was going to get out of the clam, and was slightly alarmed at the thought, but since it was only a dream she started pressing all the buttons on the surface of the clam. Then the voice said again, "No, the one on the wall!"

Mel went saw the button by the door of the outer room she had seen earlier (the one without the water basins) and pressed it. She heard someone coming up the stairs outside the room, and the door opened, revealing a blond girl whose eyes reminded Mel somewhat of Tamara.

"Mel! What is wrong with you? You look terrible! And you're hair! Damn girl, did you get extensions without telling me?" the girl exclaimed walking into the room and going to grab Meliara's long hair.

Mel back away quickly from the girl. "Um, I'm sorry, I don't know you. Actually I think I've made you up, but really after all this traveling and work I've been doing lately I'm not surprised I'm having these strange dreams. So really if you don't terribly mind I'm going to take my leave and go back to sleep." And with that Mel curtsied and walked into the bedroom.

The blond girl stared at her in disbelief, less because Mel thought she was dreaming and more because she had just swept an excellent curtsied.

"Mel, darlin'," the girl asked slowly, walking into the room. "You ain't dreamin'. It's 8:00 in the morning, and I've come to get you so we can go to work because we both can't afford gas. C'mon Melanie, it's me, Olivia."

Meliara stopped getting into the bed and turned around suddenly. "Melanie?"

"Yep," Olivia said, "Melanie Adamson is your name. And you're not dreaming. Look!" and with that Olivia reached across the space between them and pinched Mel hard on the arm.

"Ow! That hurt!" Mel yelped, then paused and stared at the other girl in disbelief. "That…hurt. Things don't hurt in dreams."

"Nope, so you're not dreamin are ya?"

"But then, if this isn't a dream, how did I get here? Where is here?"

"Melanie really, we've got to go to work. Are you hung over? Still drunk? Did you do anything else last night I should know about?" Olivia asked her, suddenly suspicious.

"Oh no I'm certainly not drunk, I've done that one time too many," Meliara told the strange girl (who was apparently very real). "And my name is not Melanie, it is Meliara Astiar. I am married to King Vidanric Renselaeus and I am queen of Remalna. The place where I am supposed to be right now!"

"Really, _Queen _Meliara?" Olivia asked her, slightly amused. Olivia supposed if her best friend was going to go crazy, at least she was doing a good job. Olivia guess Melanie was subconsciously fulfilling an old Disney fantasy. "And where is this kingdom of yours?"  
"On the eastern end of the Satoran continent," Meliara promptly replied.

"And on which planet is the "Sartoran continent? I've never heard of it."

"Sartorias-deles, of course. "

Now Olivia was more worried. The Melanie she knew might be able to stress herself into a nervous breakdown or something, but no matter what state of mind she was in, she would never be creative enough to make up a name like "Satorias-deles." That just wasn't the type of girl she was. Olivia prided herself on being Melanie's oldest friend and knowing her the best, and this girl in front of her was certainly not acting like the Mel she knew.

Meliara stopped to survey the other girl. Her clothes were different than anything Mel had ever seen, though her black breeches did look comfortable, much more so than formal court dress. She wore her hair, cut attractively around her face in a bob, much shorter than any woman, or even any man Mel knew. In the course of their interview, Olivia's facial expressions had looked confused, amused, and now thoughtful. Mel knew that if she was going to convince this blonde girl she was not this "Melanie" person, she was going to have to do it now.

"You know Melanie better than anyone?" she asked Olivia.

"Yes Mel, I've known _you _since we were in grammar school together," Olivia replied.

"So how do you explain this?" Meliara asked, lifting her nightgown to reveal an ugly scar on her ankle.

"I…but…where did that come from?" Olivia asked, now more confused than ever.

"Nasty, isn't it?" Mel asked her, smiling. "I got it when I fell into one of my own traps during a war my brother and I waged against our old, evil King. It took weeks to heal, though my running around the country as a fugitive certainly didn't help the recovery."

Mel sat down on the edge of the bed and watched the other girl take in this new discovery.

"You know, now that I think about it, you are shorter than Melanie, and you've got the longer hair, and you're more…fit. Yeah, just more toned all around. Mel was never much of a gym rat if you know what I mean, which, well, I guess you don't," Olivia floundered, then demanded "So if you aren't Melanie Adamson, who are you?"

"As I said," Mel replied with another one of her curtsies she had perfected after years in Athanarel, "Meliara Astiar of Remalna.

"Oh right, Mel_iara_. And, uh, as I said, my name is Olivia, and I'm from right here in Houston, Texas! The greatest state in the union!"

Now it was Mel's turn to look confused. "Texas? I've never heard of Texas."

"Haven't heard of the Lone Star State? Right, well, I guess that would make sense. I've never heard of Remanalala or whatever it is. I'll go call in some excuses to work so we can figure this thing out. Cause you're not the Mel I know for damn sure, though boy you look just like her. You get dressed and then we're going to have a long talk."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is owned by Sherwood Smith. Yay Sherwood Smith!

"Oh, your majesty! Wake up! You have a meeting with the silver merchants in half a bell!"

Mel, properly known as Melanie Adamson, groggily stretched and opened her eyes. Looking around, she couldn't help but think that this dream was particularly detailed. Her room was richly decorated with tapestries depicting idyllic country scenes and furnished with a beautiful red colored wooden bed and desk. The window to her right looked out over a small lake town on a beautiful day. She did not notice that her bed was quite large and that the sheets to her left looked rumpled as if someone else had slept there as well.

There was a severe yet nice looking woman standing in front of her, with an anxious look on her face. This woman spoke again, "Your majesty, I beg of you to make haste. The king had said you slept badly last night and were not to be woken until late today. He has gone to meet with one group of merchants and has left you to talk to the silver merchants. They are anxiously waiting to meet you."

As Melanie obeyed, she thought, "So I'm a Queen with servants. This dream is getting better and better. I'm like a Disney princess!" she smiled to herself and readily put on the dark green gown the servant held out for her. After a quick wash of her face and teeth Melanie followed a courier who waited outside for her outside the room.

"I wonder if I am going to a ball" Melanie thought, not having paid attention to what Mora had told her earlier, "or to sit with the King while he makes important decisions. Oh I hope it is a ball! Or a grand brunch or something. Something queenly!"

As she followed the servant walking briskly in front of her, it occurred to her she really had no idea what those Disney princesses did during the day once they found their prince and got married. Deciding her subconscious controlling her dreaming would be creative enough to fill in those gaps, she was led into a large room filled with cushions.

"Hah! Are we going to do some medieval style yoga? That should be fun! Maybe I'll be able to get that downward dog pose now that I'm a Queen." Melanie suppressed a giggle as she kneeled on the cushion she was directed to.

"Your majesty," a short man announced at the doorway, catching her attention, "I present to you the silver merchants of Mnend." With that about twenty or so serious and important looking men walked into the room, bowed to Melanie, and sat on cushions of their own, all facing her.

"Oh my." Melanie thought, "This doesn't look very fun."

"Your majesty," one of the men began, "it is an honor for us to speak with you today."

"You can just call me Mel," Melanie said, smiling.

The man looked surprised, and then continued. "We have brought a few grievances with us today, as we represent not only our guild in Mnend but also all the silver merchants in Remalna.

"Remalna, that's a pretty name," Mel thought absentmindedly. She looked around the room and said in her most queenly voice, "Let's get started then! What's the problem"

Another man gave her a strange look, then said, "Silver mining is a dangerous enterprise but a much needed commodity. However, the taxes levied by the separate provinces and the state as a whole put us at an economic disadvantage because of the nature of our business…"

"Oh crap, he's talking about taxes? Insurance? I hate economics! I almost failed Econ 101 freshman year," Mel thought anxiously, "Why would I put this in my dream? Hmmm, there must be something better coming up. I'll remember something brilliant subconsciously once all these old guys stop talking. Why are they all so serious? Silver mining? Really? Aren't there gnomes in this country to do that kind of thing?"

Mel noticed the men had started to look at her, some concerned, some amused. A few in the back of the room looked at each other as if to say, "We knew it. We knew this queen couldn't be all she was hyped up to be. She is nothing without her husband."

"Just nod and smile," she coached herself, "nod and smile."

"Ah yes well, Sir-err-uh…" Melanie stammered.

"Mimsy, your highness"

"Yes, Sir Mimsy. I'm afraid there is nothing the crown, can uh, really do in this case. I mean your claims are valid of course!" Melanie supplied as the faces in the crowd grew more tense and angry. "Really, and you are all very nice men, its just that, well, uh…I was going to say that…I mean….you understand that…oh shit! I don't know what I'm talking about! Why the hell are you asking me about this? I'm the Queen! I'm supposed to go to balls! What kind of freaking dream is this anyways?"

The men in the room looked totally taken aback and somewhat afraid at Melanie's outburst. "Has she gone mad?" some whispered to the others.

"What?!" she demanded, "Why are you all looking at me like that? Where is that servant lady? I need to go back to bed. I can't be having dreams like this tonight! Olivia is coming to pick me up to go to work tomorrow and she is always so damn early."

The merchants stood back, aghast, as Melanie walked out of the room, muttering about nightmares and how she shouldn't drink coffee before she went to bed even if it was supposed to stave off a hangover.

A runner stationed at the door promptly led Melanie to her room, where she got in bed and closed her eyes to fall back asleep.

"Of course I can't fall asleep now!"

She tried to a few positions, but could not find a comfortable spot on the bed.

"Damn old time mattress," she thought frustrated. She sat up as Mora walked into the room.

"Ms. Servant Lady!" she called. Mora stopped and stared openly at her mistress. "I need something to get me back asleep. ASAP."

"But your highness, you cannot go to sleep. You have a full schedule all day. The king is expecting you for lunch. And then you are to go riding with the Count of Mnend, and then more merchant guilds are coming, and your daughter wants to get a new dress…"

Now it was Melanie's turn to stare. "My daughter?"

"Yes, young Oria. She is with her tutors now."

"No.freaking.way," Mel thought. If totally embarrassing herself in front of those merchants wasn't enough, she had a kid?! This wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare!

"Look, I just need some sleep. Could you bring me some...warm milk please?"

"Warm milk is supposed to be one of those old fashioned sleep aids, right?" Mel tried to assure herself, "No Tylenol PM around here."

Mora nodded and left for the kitchens, very worried for her mistress.

A few minutes later, a tall, handsome man walked purposely into the room.

"Oh I hope he's the King," Melanie couldn't help but think, "Having kids wouldn't be so bad."

"Mel, what has gotten into you?" the man asked, angrily. "We talked about how important these meetings were going to be. I was in the middle of a long discussion with the scribe guild when the leader of the silver merchants burst into the room demanding to know if I believed his profession to be a joke! A joke, Mel? How did you treat those people? He said you were talking nonsense about dreaming and didn't listen to them at all! This is our reputation on the 

line here, Mel; we've worked too hard for this! We can't afford to mess this up." He finished with a flurry with his hands.

His rant done, Vidanric sat on the edge of the bed and took Melanie's hands. "Meliara, I know you didn't sleep well last night, are you ill?"

Melanie ripped her hands out of his hold. "Um, excuse me. But my name is not Meliara, its Melanie. And I would appreciate it if you were to stop pacing the room and leave as I have to go to sleep and end this horrible nightmare."

"Oh Meliara," Vidanric said, "Just because that meeting went badly doesn't mean it was a nightmare! We can fix it."

"No, you don't understand," Melanie replied slowly, "my name is Mel-anie. I am from Houston, Texas. In the United States. In North America. On Earth. Right now I am dreaming, and I need you to leave so I can go to sleep and wake up in my own bed. In my own room. In my own apartment."

"Mel…Meliara," Vidanric asked, looking into her eyes, "what are you talking about. What is Houston? Or North America? Did you eat something bad last night?"

"No, though I admit I probably had one too many margaritas!" Mel told him frankly.

"Marga…what is going on?" Vidanric asked, more to himself than the strange woman in front of him. "Do you know who I am? Your husband, Vidanric?" he asked.

"Yeah never seen you before in my life," Melanie told him.

Vidanric got up and started to pace the room again. Suddenly he stopped and told Melanie to stand up. She did, albeit reluctantly, and looked around the room as Vidanric studied her. His eyes slowly grew wide and his mouth opened in disbelief. "You aren't Meliara," he said in amazement, "you're slightly taller and not as small.

"Hey!" Melanie protested, "I don't go to the gym but c'mon man!"

"And your hair is much shorter," Vidanric continued, circling her, "and your eyes, they look the same but they are different, somehow. And you have a slight accent."

"Good!" Mel said, getting back into bed, "now that we are all on the same page, could you leave so I can go back to sleep and wake up in the real world?"

"But Meli…Melanie," Vidanric said. "This isn't a dream. I don't know how you got here or where my wife is, but you are now in Remalna. A very real place."

"Oh right, and so is Hogwarts, but unfortunately an owl didn't bring me a letter to go to wizard school. I guess they just got the wrong address, is that it?" Melanie asked him, now slightly annoyed. She had never had such annoying characters in her dreams before.

"Hogwarts? Is that some kind of disease from your world?" Vidanric asked, then shook his head and got back on topic, "Remalna is a real place. It is on the Sartor continent. Our royal colors are green and gold. Look!" he said suddenly, taking her by the hand and pulling her out the room and down the hallway. They stopped in front of a large tapestry, that, when pulled aside, revealed a huge room filled with books.

"The library at Mnend," Vidanric declared, "almost rivals that of ours at Athanarel. It contains the storied history of our realm. It includes its most recent story; that of the uprising led by Lady Meliara, the Countess of Astiar. My wife." he said, choosing a scroll from the shelf and giving it to Melanie. As she glanced through it, she could tell it was about this girl named Meliara and her brother who, in conjunction with a man called Shevareth, overthrew the evil king Galdran. These storied heroes, etc etc, were eventually married in a great alliance and now had one daughter, Oria, etc etc.

"Oh my God," Melanie said, looking up at Vidanric. You're this Vidanric Shevareth guy. And I'm supposed to be this girl….my subconscious just ain't that good. I can't make this kind of stuff up! I'm not dreaming."

"No, you're not. Though you certainly are not my Mel, and I don't know how you got here."

"Yeah, well you got me there," Melanie joked half-heartedly, feeling slightly sick.

"I'm going to send a message to your brother and get Russav to meet us in our…my rooms. We need to figure this out, and soon!" Vidanric decided, pulling Melanie along with him.

A/N: First of all, thanks to everyone who reviewed so far. I hope this chapter isn't too similar to the last one! I found both these chapters kind of difficult because I figured it would be hard to convince someone they had woken up in another world they had never heard of. Please review and let me know what you think! I think there is still going to be some explanation coming up but stay with me! It should be fun...


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is owned by Sherwood Smith. Yay Sherwood Smith!

Meliara smiled with the wind in her face despite her occasional cough from the polluted air of the city as Olivia drove down the freeway. "This convertible thing is like riding a horse but so much better! Except for the, what did Olivia call it? Exhaust from those big ones! So different from the mountains of Tlanth! And this music is so strange. Yet they all have the same accent as Olivia" she thought as Olivia turned up the dial on her favorite country music station.

As Taylor Swift sang in the background, Olivia turned to study Meliara for the hundredth time that morning. Olivia was perhaps the most imaginative of her friends but she was still fairly sure of her sanity-something she had not helped questioning multiple times that morning.

"So where is that voice coming from?" Mel asked Olivia curiously.

"Oh, the radio," Olivia answered, pointing at her dashboard. "They make a recording of the song then broadcast it in waves through the air. I'm not real sure how it works to be honest, but it's a real old thing."

"Oh, I see," Mel replied, not really seeing at all but accepting that she was just not going to understand this strange new world.

"Is that a lyre she is playing?"

"Haha a lyre? I don't think they make those anymore. Just a guitar and some other instruments. She is good too. 'He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitaarrr!'" Olivia sang enthusiastically off-key.

They passed the huge football stadium as Mel smiled then asked "Is how you dress quite…normal in this world?"

"Yeah I guess so. Melanie and I work in an advertising firm so they're not too particular about what you wear. It depends on what you do and where you're from I guess. You used to big dresses and things huh?"

"Well fashion changes over the years of course," Mel answered thinking back to the engagement party she threw Bran and Nee a few years ago, "but women do not normally wear breeches unless it is part of a riding outfit."

As Mel continued to look around in amazement, Olivia asked the question she had been wondering all morning, "So how to you reckon you got here from that medieval place of yours?" Olivia asked as she pulled up to the nearest Starbucks. She knew from lots of personal experience that crowded coffee shops were some of the best places to talk without being 

overheard, and this was not a good subject she wanted to be caught talking about. A caffeine boost wouldn't hurt either.

Mel followed her inside the busy store as she answered under the din of the machines and the crowded room, "Well, I suppose it was a magic spell of some sort. I'm still so new in my studies I haven't come close to anything this advanced so I'm not really sure if it can even be done. I couldn't imagine the Mage Council allowing such a thing in any event."

"Two lattes with 2 and no whip please," Olivia told the man at the cash register, a little unsettled but not really surprised, considering the circumstances, magic had something to do with the situation. However, it was not really the peace of mind she had been looking for. "So you've got a 'Mage Council'?"

"Yes, a governing body based in Sartor (the oldest country in my world) that decides whether or not someone can practice magic and what type of spells are allowed. To cross them is very dangerous so I have no idea why someone would go through all the trouble with me and your friend."

Olivia took a sip of her drink before handing Mel hers. "Here, you'll need this."

"Oh thank you, Olivia," Mel said. "Wow! This is good. Maybe even better than hot chocolate!"

"We're going to need a lot of coffee today," Olivia told her, matter-of-factly. "So you can't do the spell this bad mage did to you?"

"Even if I knew it, I'm not sure I have the power. It would have taken a very powerful mage indeed," Mel told her dejectedly as they got back into Olivia's car. "And your friend must be stuck in Remalna with Vidanric and Oria! And we were supposed to meet with those important merchants today! I cannot imagine what they will say! Burn it! How could this have happened?"

Olivia, sensing Mel felt herself losing control of the situation and not liking it (very much like Melanie would have felt), reached over and gave the smaller woman an unexpected but appreciated hug.

"Look, if I know Melanie, I know she's going to try and find a way to figure this out even if she has to track down that mage guy herself. Howsabout you drink your coffee and tell me about yourself? Maybe we can go to the library and look and see if there is anything about the Satorias place. If this happened once it coulda happened before. And here in Houston we got one of the biggest and best libraries there is! Everything is bigger in Texas!"

Mel nodded and couldn't help but agree with that last statement as she looked at the impossibly tall and huge buildings and roads around her. She took a fortifying hot swig from her drink and felt the burning liquid go down her throat and into her belly.

"Life, this is real," she thought to herself, "and I can't just sit around here and wait for someone else to save me. I am Queen Meliara no matter where I am…even if I'm not quite sure where in the universe here is." So with another drink and Honky Tonk Badonkadonk (which she really didn't understand but found amusing and catchy) on the radio she began to tell Olivia the tale of the poor count and countess who started a war with an evil king.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Anything or anyone or any place you recognize is Sherwood Smith's (other than Texas of course). Yay Sherwood Smith!

As Russav hurried down the hall towards the royal quarters, he wondered what would make Danric call for him so suddenly. "I wonder if the rumors about Mel are at least partly true," he mused as he reflected on the news spreading around town that the queen had completely insulted the powerful silver merchants during a closed meeting that morning. With that thought he quickened his step and quickly reached the tapestry in front of Mel and Vidanric's room. He walked into a room filled with scrolls and bound books in at least seven different languages. Mel sat in the center of the mess with a pile of scrolls in the common language around her. Vidanric was quickly glancing through another scroll that looked liked it was from Chwair, or maybe something else he didn't recognize.

"What is half the library doing in here? Are we planning another history themed party? Is it a secret?" he asked with his usual humor. After looking at the determined (and in Mel's case slightly panicked and sick) faces of his friends, he realized that a party was the last thing either of them were thinking about.

"Russav," Vidanric said as he stood up, "what we're about to tell you might not make sense but I ask that you keep an open mind. Mel, could you mark your place and come over here please?"

"Certainly," Melanie replied in an accent Russav couldn't quite place. As she looked Vidanric's cousin over she decided that if she was forced to stay in this strange place, she could definitely get used to men! She blushed as Russav caught her looking and with a very confused look told Vidanric, "Ok cousin, hit me with your worst."

"Russav, I would like you to meet Melanie Adamson from a place called Houston, Texas in North America. We don't know how she got here, or where Meliara went, but we need your help to figure out how to fix it."

Russav stared at his cousin, then grinned widely. "Danric, you finally got a sense of humor! And here I was expecting one of you to be deathly ill or something of that nature! Who's idea was it? And really what are all these scrolls for?" He laughed then looked down at the nearest scroll written in Sartorian. He was never very good at languages, but he knew the words for "universe" and "portal." He looked back and Danric and Melanie, his smile gone.

"We're serious," Vidanric told him, "if you look closely you can see it for yourself."

"And I bet you never heard an accent like mine," Mel told him.

Russav looked and listened closely as Mel looked back at him with her hands on her hips. It wasn't just her stature (though he thought she looked a bit taller) but the way she held herself and even the way she walked back to her place on the floor and picked up her discarded scroll.

"But…what? How…oh this explains a lot?"

"Explains what?" Vidanric asked him.

"Lots of rumors are going around about this woman," Russav said waving towards Melanie, "and her behavior during the silver guild meeting this morning. I wouldn't say they aren't anything that can't be 

fixed!" he amended as Vidanric grimaced and Melanie blushed, "but we might want to clear some things up with the guild so they'll stop talking and…make a graceful exit. Maybe we should cancel this whole thing. Keep her out of view for a while?"

"No, leaving here early is bad enough. If we were to cancel it would totally counteract everything we tried to achieve by starting this tour to begin with!" Vidanric decided. Melanie frowned, having liked the idea of lying low in a royal castle until everything was sorted out. That would be much more dreamlike than this nightmarish reality. That is, this reality she thought she was in assuming she was still sane. Unfortunately, she was pretty certain she was too sane to have ever dreamt this up.

"I'll talk with the guild and alert the Count of our departure. We'll need to bring these," Vidanric gestured towards the various documents around him, "and the Count of Mnend will not part with them easily. He is very proud of his library."

"I will escort the lady to midday meal," Russav said with an encouraging smile for Melanie that she returned hesitantly. "Tamara will be abed for another bell so hopefully I will be able to keep us from any more…incidents."

"Yes, I think that's a good idea!" Melanie said, deciding to speak up. She was wondering when she was going to finally eat. Apparently, being transferred between universes made one starving. "I should get through one meal without too much of a disaster. I'll just keep quiet and let this guy do the talking."

Russav smiled as Melanie elbowed him to get going. Even though she looked familiar, _very _familiar, she certainly didn't act the part. "Not that that's a bad thing," he thought, "but we have a lot of work to do."

Now that a course of action was decided, Vidanric hurried out of the room to his duties. Russav offered Melanie his arm and she placed her hand on top like she had seen in the movies. He led her down to the grand hall and she copied his way of nodding at those that walked by. Though none of the servants would stare openly, they were clearly being watched as they made their way through the estate. Mel entered a large room filled with low tables and the cushions she had seen that morning. Determined not to make a fool of herself, she very carefully knelt at the cushion Russav pointed her to and fluffed out her skirts around her so she would look like the other ladies.

"This isn't so bad," she thought, "it's like high school drama class again. Act and react. Observe others. I'll just play a part." She watched as the rest of the court filed in and took their seats, both men and women talking and playing with the fans they wore at their sides. She looked down and her elaborately decorated fan at her side and thought, "they aren't just playing around with those for fun. I don't know what they mean but I better not use mine incase I insult someone's mother or something." She giggled as she thought of these people's reactions to one of the many 'yo mama' jokes she heard back at home. "Probably not a good idea if we want to keep this thing on the DL."

"So you're majesty," a blonde woman near her right said to Mel, "will you ride again with me and the men to Tlanth. I know you know the terrain so well and you are such a good rider. I would hate to be left by myself and you know we all expect it!" the woman finished with a laugh.

"Oh, uh, well I think I will. If it is what is expected I certainly don't want to disappoint anyone," Mel replied as the food was served, giving her an escape from more conversation with the woman Russav referred to as Trish. "I took a few riding lessons at summer camp one year," she thought, "It can't be that hard." With that satisfying thought she tore into her food, happy even with some of the odd seasoning she had never tasted before. She was hungry! Russav looked slightly alarmed and the other courtiers bemused at her enthusiasm so she forced herself to slow down and take the tiny bites she saw the others use around her. As the meal went on and Mel stayed silent, some of the courtiers wondered if the Queen was just tired or something else was amiss that gave some legitimacy to the rumors from the morning.

"And really," a man said further down the table, "her mother is just the most wretched woman. She will never marry because no man will want to deal with that nagging!" he finished with a wave of his fan. Melanie, hearing the end of his conversation and remembering the 'yo mama' jokes she thought of earlier, snorted as she was drinking a glass of tea that then came squirting out of her nose! Russav, in an attempt to distract those who had seen, asked Trish about the new ponies that had been born in her home stable recently. He glanced at Melanie, who was at the moment wiping her nose in a valiant but failed attempt at ladylikeness, and had to stifle a laugh as Trish answered his question.

"Oh shit," Melanie thought as she looked at Russav's barely hidden amusement and the aghast faces of some of the others who could not wait to tell relate the Queen's odd behavior, "I have got to get out of here soon! How do these people sit this straight all the time and eat these tiny bites? As soon as this is over, I'm going to try some of that magic in the scrolls upstairs myself. I'm going to cram like it's the last night before a final! No one is going to get me out of this but me. If I look so much like this Meliara maybe I share something else with her too!" As soon as the last dish was taken away, she got up as fast as she could and almost ran back the way she came; not even bothering to wait for Russav or any of the others who stared after her confused.

I would love some feedback on this so please review! Thanks!


	7. Chapter 7

As Mel and Olivia pulled up to the huge building that housed the Texas State Library, Mel could not help but smile as the enormous flag that flew on top of roof. "Things really are bigger in Texas," she thought to herself. Once inside, Mel stared at the shelves and shelves of books and could not believe it would be possible to find anything! After telling Olivia her concern, Olivia laughed and led her over a group of square contraptions Mel remembered seeing in Melanie's room that morning.

"These are computers," Olivia explained to Mel in a hushed voice. "Never mind how they work, if they are connected to the internet you can find practically anything!"

Olivia sat down and clicked on the Internet Explorer icon as Mel watched fascinated.

"What's Guggle?"

"That's Goooogle," Olivia responded with a strained smile as she hoped no one had overheard the question. I guess the best way to explain it is we type something in here and it will search the libraries of people all over the world for information. First I'm going to search the catalogue of this library since the books we're looking for probably won't be online."

In the search box on the Texas Library website, Olivia typed in 'Remalna.' _No results found!_

"Damn," she muttered under her breath. "What about…Sartorias?" _No results found!_

"It's not working, is it?" Mel asked the other woman.

"No, there's nothing here. I can't believe it!" Olivia said as shocked as when Starbucks discontinued her favorite mint mocha frappacino with no warning at all. Back to Google, she searched for the largest library in the United States. "The Library of Congress! Duh!"

"But it says that's in Washington, D.C? Are we near Washington?"

"Not even close, but I a lot of times they will ship books to a University or public library if you need it," Olivia said excitedly as she searched for Remalna and Satorias in the online cataglogue.

"Oh look!" Mel exclaimed, "They have something! La Satoria? That doesn't sound right"

"Looks like something in Italian," Olivia said, "maybe if we put it into Google…oh. It's just some play," she sighed as she leaned back in her seat. "The internet has never failed me before! There isn't even on Wikipedia!"

As Mel and Olivia discussed what to do and where to look next, an old woman of Mexican descent with slanted eyes passed by their table. She stopped short when she heard Mel ask to  use guggle to look for Mage Council or maybe try Sartor. "They are talking about Sartor," the lady said to herself, "it couldn't be." As she drifted closer she heard Mel curse the computer and ask Olivia to search for Remalna again. "Remalna?" the old woman asked, "how can this be?"

"Excuse me," Olivia said as she turned around in her chair to stare at the old woman lurking behind them, "would you mind giving us some privacy?"

"You are looking for information on Sartor?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Mel replied, sensing something familiar about the woman, "have you heard of it?"

"Not only have I heard of it," she said leaning closer, "my ancestors came from that world two hundred years ago."

Mel gasped then exclaimed, "Chwahir? That is how I recognized you! We had an ambassador come from Chwahirsland three years ago. You have the same eyes."

Olivia noticed that the teenage boy was clearly listening to their conversation and suggested they move to one of the private rooms upstairs. After getting a key from the librarian the group silently went up the elevator (to the immense pleasure of Mel after she discovered they didn't even have to use the stairs in this world) to the fourth floor where they gathered in a small study room.

"Chwahir?" Mel asked, "But how could this have happened? Why are you here?"

"As I said, my ancestors came from your world two hundred years ago. Do you know how your world was first populated?"

"No," Mel admitted, "I had not gotten quite that far back in my studies. Most of that knowledge was lost in the fall of Sartor anyway."

"People didn't just evolve?" Olivia asked.

"People migrated from this world to old Sartor and beyond through world portals," the woman explained. "the people have changed somewhat in appearance since, but they brought with them certain plants like coffee and chocolate and even animals like rats and horses," she said as she gestured to Olivia's mug of coffee. "There are world portals all over this earth, and all of their locations are unknown. For those of us who do know of their existence, we know of one near Delhi, India and another in the Galapagos Islands. There is also one here in the United States, a few miles away from where we stand."

"But I've lived here my entire life," Olivia argued, "how could I never accidentally fall into one or somethin'? Wouldn't someone have noticed by now?"

"The portals used to be open, but a millennia ago they were closed by Sartorian mages. They can now only be opened temporarily, and it takes great power to do so."

"How do you know all of this?" Mel asked. "What you say seems to be true and goes along with what I've always heard, but how did your ancestors get here? Were they transported like me?"

"The story of my ancestors has been passed down generation to generation. When we are children tales of Sartor and Chwahir are told as stories. It is only when my mother was deathly ill she told me the truth. She explained why our family didn't look quite the same as other people. Why our faces were flatter and our eyes had a strange slant. She told me that one of my ancestors was a great mage powerful to open a portal. When war came to Chwarhisland around the time of the great Venn wars against Iasca Leror ("Now Marolven Hess where Vidanric trained," Mel thought to herself), my family could not escape the country but to stay would be to die. So my forefather summoned his strength and opened the nearest portal he could find and transported my entire family here. We have lived here ever since. My mother is dead now, so my sister and I are the only ones that know. I never thought to put the stories on the internet," she said wryly.

"So there is no way I can open the portal?" Mel asked her.

"No, magic does not work in this world," the woman replied. "The closest my sister and I have come to magic is deep meditation, and then we can only sense it. A mage from your world opens a portal every fifty years or so, though we have sensed one just recently that was open for quite a while. I assume that was you."

"Yes, I guess that was me, but I didn't put myself here." Mel told her matter-of-factly. "And I can't wait fifty years to get back home!"

"Come," the old woman said to Mel and Olivia, who had sat and listened to the whole story in unusual silence, "I will take you to my home to meet my sister. Maybe she will remember something to help you."

Olivia looked at Mel and shrugged as they followed the old woman back downstairs to Olivia's car.

A/N: Ok I know there hasn't been much action in this chapter but we're in the home stretch!! Keep reviewing please!


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